The lines which are a flashback here are: She thought of her last day in middle school, seven years ago, when Sarah had given her an iPod. She had felt ecstatic that day when she realized she would be able to listen to her favorite songs and fend off comments from her cousins about how little she knew about music.
The novel’s protagonist. Tom is a mischievous boy with an active imagination who spends most of the novel getting himself, and often his friends, into and out of trouble. Despite his mischief, Tom has a good heart and a strong moral conscience. As the novel progresses, he begins to take more seriously the responsibilities of his role as a leader among his schoolfellows.
Politeness could be both! It could be all good manners, but it also could be good lying. If this isn't what you are looking for, please explain more clearly.
Ambiguity or fallacy is a word, statement, or phrase that contains more than just one meaning.
I hope this helps (:
